Night shift premiums and unsocial hours pay: what you are owed
5 minute read · 2026-10-08
UK law does not require any extra pay for night shifts, weekends, Sundays or bank holidays. A night premium, unsocial hours allowance or bank holiday double time exists only if your contract, a collective agreement or a published pay scale gives it to you. What the law does provide for night workers is a limit on hours, a free health assessment, and protection for young workers.
What a premium usually looks like
Premiums vary widely, so treat these as typical rather than standard:
- Warehouse, forklift and manufacturing: adverts on nights commonly show a premium of about £1 to £3 an hour, or a percentage, often in the region of 20 to 30% on our job profiles for forklift and CNC work.
- NHS staff on Agenda for Change: published unsocial hours enhancements apply, worked out as a percentage of basic pay that varies by band and by time of day, with higher rates on Sundays and bank holidays. The details are in the NHS Terms and Conditions Handbook on NHS Employers.
- Retail, hospitality and care: many employers pay no night or weekend premium at all, especially at or near the minimum wage.
Compare the weekly total rather than the premium alone: a smaller premium on a site with longer, steadier hours can pay more over a month.
Premiums and the minimum wage
A premium paid only for working at a particular time (nights, weekends) does not count towards the minimum wage. Your basic rate on its own must be at least the legal minimum, which is £12.71 an hour at 21 and over from April 2026. A nights job advertised as "£13.50 an hour including night allowance" is only lawful if the basic part is £12.71 or more.
Bank holidays
There is no legal right to have bank holidays off, or to extra pay for working them. Your 5.6 weeks of paid holiday can include bank holidays. Whether you get time off, a day in lieu or enhanced pay depends on your contract.
What the law gives night workers
You are a night worker if you regularly work at least 3 hours during "night time", which is 11pm to 6am unless your contract sets a different seven hour period that includes midnight to 5am. Under the Working Time Regulations:
- you should not work more than an average of 8 hours in each 24 hours, usually over 17 weeks, and you cannot opt out of this limit
- if the work is especially hazardous or involves heavy physical or mental strain, the 8 hour limit is an actual limit, not an average
- your employer must offer a free health assessment before you start nights and regularly afterwards
- if a doctor says nights are making you ill, your employer should offer suitable day work where possible
Young workers (under 18) normally may not work between 10pm and 6am, with limited exceptions. Shift work and rest break rules are covered in shift work, night work and the law.
Questions to ask before you take a nights job
- What is the basic hourly rate, and what is the premium, shown separately?
- Is the premium paid on holiday pay as well? (For regular nights it should be part of holiday pay for at least four of your 5.6 weeks.)
- Is the premium paid on every hour of the shift, or only hours after midnight?
- What happens to the premium if you move to days?
What to do next
Check the premium is written into your contract or offer, not just mentioned at interview. Then see what nights pay in your trade on what the work pays, or search current jobs, which all show pay.
This is general information, not legal advice. For your own situation, ACAS (0300 123 1100) is free.
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